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Sometimes with all of Google's highfalutin talk about making the world's information useful, it's easy to forget that it's a business. GigaOm reports that the Google Fiber "experiment" in Kansas City is no exception. It's not infrastructural charity. It's a money-maker. Or at least it could be. On paper the economics of Google Fiber seem a little precarious. Google spent unknown billions installing the network only to deliver unheard-of Gigabit speeds for just $70 a month. What's more, it's offering residents of Kansas City 5 Mbps fiber service for free . GigaOm spoke with top Google execs and other sources and explains the smart business moves that not only make the product better for consumers but also better business for Google. Building its own gear: Rather than turn to an outside vendor for its network boxes, Google cut costs on gear by engineering them from the ground up. Building custom gear means it's not paying for any extraneous...

Ingrid is a reporter for TechCrunch, joining February 2012, based out of London. She comes from paidContent.org, where she was a staff writer, and has in the past also written freelance regularly for other publications such as the Financial Times. Ingrid covers mobile, digital media, advertising and the spaces where these intersect. When it comes to work, she feels most... ? Learn More ARM Holdings — supplier of microchips for Apple’s iPhone and iPad products, Samsung’s Galaxy line and soon technology for Microsoft’s Windows 8 devices — continues to report strong results while riding the wireless device boom and expanding to newer areas. The company reported Q2 earnings (ended June 30) of £135.5 million ($213 million), beating analyst estimates of $206 million. Net profit was up by 48 percent, to £39.4 million compared to £26.6 million for the same quarter a year ago. Pointedly, the company is gearing up for continuing good fortune, at least for the next quarter: It says it has a “re...